


Watching the Stars

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Series: King and Queen of Hearts [3]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-01-20 07:43:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12428094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: I don't own Bungi or Activision, or any of their characters. Anyone else, well, I'll claim them.





	1. Caught Red-Handed

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Bungi or Activision, or any of their characters. Anyone else, well, I'll claim them.

          "Kai, I don't know if this is a good idea."

          "Please, J?" Akaiya begs, looking at the Ghost with her doe eyes.

          The black and white Ghost sinks a little. "Fine. Just, don't say I didn't warn you, okay?"

          Little does she know that Cayde is watching her from the rafters. Their voices echo up towards him, and he can't help but wonder what she's going to get herself into this time. 

          And yes, he knows he should be down in his post, but any of his Hunters with half of a brain could find him. He swivels his head to the one coming towards him now. The Hunter is crawling towards him across the skinny beam. 

          _Need something?_ Cayde asks, still paying attention two the two trouble-makers below him. 

          "Ikora is looking for you. Again."

          Cayde glares at him.  _Cassrick_ _, so help me...._

          "Hey! Don't shoot the messenger." he glances down at Akaiya. "Uh, hate to tell you this, Cayde, but your daughter's gone."

          Cayde looks down and sees a glowing brown eye disappear into a hole in the wall. When he looks back up to slap Cassrick for distracting him, the Hunter is gone. 

          Cayde grumbles and gets up, hopping down from his perch and landing on light feet. Wherever she is, she's long gone now. Cayde couldn't find her up there if he tried. It's worse than a maze. He's gotten lost a few times himself.

          Hawthorne marches down the stairs and she smiles when she sees him crouched on the ground. "Lost her, didn't ya'?"

          He nods, mock shame in his expression. 

          "Golly, Cayde. Don't do that. You look like a kicked puppy."

          Her cloak swishes at her heels as she approaches. Cayde made it specifically for her and she's loved it to death. It's a lot like her poncho, aside from the part where it's a lot shorter in the front and a lot longer in the back. The cloak itself is a very dark blue, almost black. 

          "She'll be back."

          "I know it." he rubs his neck. 

          Wash appears and spins around Cayde a couple times, obviously still thrilled by the idea that he gets to keep doing it. "If it helps any, Jayne says she's watering the artichokes."

          Cayde makes a strangled noise in his new voice box. _Not the Ascendant ones, I hope._

          Wash doesn't say anything for a bit, but that's an answer in and of itself. 

          Hawthorne leads him away with a smile even though she doesn't know what he asked. It's a little strange to answer with words for him, and he can never tell when to anymore. Before, Cayde would just interrupt whenever the mood arose, but after being without a voice for so long, he doesn't really remember how. He does, but for some reason he doesn't want to.

          "It's early. Let's go stand in the sunshine for awhile, okay?"

          Hawthorne breathes the fresh morning air and leans against Cayde's shoulder. 

          He traces letters onto her shoulders.  _Something wrong?_

          "I'm heading back to the farm tomorrow."

          Nodding slowly, he steers her up the stairs. As much as he'd love to beg her to stay, he knows that he couldn't stop her if he'd wanted to, being confined to the Tower an' all.

          They walk by Banshee, and boy was Cayde surprised to see him. They'd apparently had to dig the poor guy out of the ground, and he was buried beneath a bunch of debris from the old Tower.

          Turning up the next set of stairs, they walk on the catwalk together, passing by a Guardian rustling around in a box of parts. 

          "Kayleigh?"

          She jumps and hits her head. "Ow." she sits back on her knees and tilts her head at Cayde. "Now what'd you go and do that for?"

          Cayde just blinks at her, staring at her little project. 

          "Oh, this.... ha ha." she laughs nervously. "Nothing. Just, don't pick it off the floor. It's pressure sensitive."

          Cayde raises his brow, kneeling next to it and examining every corner. Finally he sees the ridge underneath and frowns. "Is this attached to the floor?"

          "Sort of. Trust me, Cayde. It's not something you wanna mess with. And actually..." she tosses a grease rag off to the side. "I was just going to come see you."

          He tilts his head at her. 

          "I was gonna ask if you knew any good places for loot. I'm getting bored, obviously, and I need some good badies to kill."

          _Kayleigh is bored? What a shocker._

          Cayde rolls his eyes and takes Hawthorne's arm to continue their walk. 

          After that, he spends the whole rest of the day helping out Hunters with their armor. Hawthorne keeps talking to him over the comms, and he enjoys the smooth lilt of her voice. She lets him know that Akaiya is playing with Jayne up in her perch and Cayde is thrilled that she's not playing with his experiments anymore.

          If Cayde is entirely honest with himself, he's getting bored. Very, very bored. 

          Cayde tunes into Zavala'a frequency and hears him having a pointless debate with the Future War Cult. "Hey, Zav?"

           _"Excuse me for a moment."_ Zavala says politely. 

          Instead of just speaking over the link, he walks down the stairs towards Cayde's post. "You had something to ask?"

           _Wow. Zavala made the trek all the way down here for my question._

          Cayde only nods. 

          "And that was?"

          "Right. I need to get in a few rounds of Crucible. I know how you are about that, so I figured telling you before I go would be a smart thing to do."

          "Cayde, you can't leave the Tower."

          Cayde feels a weight on his shoulders when he realizes that Zavala is just trying to go back to how it was before. His eyes flick to the floor and he mumbles out a response.

          "What was that?"

          "I said, I'm not living. I can't just stand here anymore."

          He looks up at Zavala, anger in his expression. He only crosses his arms and draws up his stance. Cayde has to force himself not to flinch at the memory that assaults him. 

          Finally, Cayde decides to try to diffuse the tension. "I'm gonna get some sleep."

          Zavala raises a brow. "And since when do you sleep regular hours?"

          "Since forever?"

          Cayde saunters off, but Zavala calls after him. 

          "Ignore me all you like, Cayde. The answer will always be the same."

          Cayde glances back and sees Zavala still facing away from him. He walks off, has head low.  _And that's why I'll never set foot away from here again._

          He walks past Ikora's post and she gets his attention. "Are you all right?"

          He tries for a smile.  _I'm fine, just turning in early._

          "Cayde, you know I don't read minds, as much as it may seem like it."

          "I'm fine."

          She rests a hand on his shoulder. "I've been wondering where you were."

          "I was watching Akaiya."

          She smiles. "She is a beautiful child."

          He brightens. "Yeah, she is."

          "She speaks of you."

          Cayde pauses. "She does?"

          "Every Guardian who passes has heard at least one tale."

          He rubs his thumb against the side of his hand nervously, thinking about tomorrow, when he'll have to say goodbye.

          The ever observant Warlock in her catches the gesture and she lets her hand slip from his arm. "Are you seeing them off in the morning?"

          He nods.

          She heaves a sigh and looks out on the new Tower. "It's peaceful, isn't it?"

          Cayde finally breaks out of his numb state to really take a look at the Tower. "Yeah. I'm just waiting for something to explode. It's only a matter of time. You know how Guardians are."

          "There are times when I wish I did not." she moves to lean against the balcony railing, staring out into the dusky sky. 

          Cayde leans with her. "You know, you've been in a really good mood since we got back." 

          "Hmmm." she smiles. "It seems being outside once again has done wonders for the both of us. Though, I believe your reasoning for wishing to return is significantly different."

          And there goes Cayde's mood. As if sensing it, Ikora looks over at him.

          "Zavala isn't going to let you?"

          Cayde stiffly shakes his head. "Won't even let me out for Crucible."

          She hums again and Cayde waits for her reply.

          "Did he give you a reason?"

          Cayde shakes his head and closes his right hand into a light fist. Arc energy swirls around his fingertips, and he sighs, bowing his head.

          "I think he's trying to protect you."

          Cayde scoffs. "From what? The Light's back, Wash is back. I'm ready for pretty much anything."

          "It would explain the armed guard at the top of the stairs." she says quietly.

          Hopping up on the rail, he sits with his legs crossed. "Yeah, it would. I'm not a fan."

          "Really?" she answer, her voice sly. "Cayde-6 doesn't want protection."

          Cayde can't help but smile.  _Not while I'm in the Tower._

          They stay at the railing in amicable silence, Cayde's cloak rustling lightly in the breeze. 

          Ikora speaks softly. "If you ever need permission, don't forget that only one Vanguard needs to permit you to leave."

          Cayde's eyes flick to her, but her face is expressionless. 

          He's about to thank her when a late-night Warlock patters down towards Ikora. 

          "Hey, Cayde."

          "Kayleigh? What are you still doing up?"

          "I was hanging out with Dev in the EDZ. I was scrounging up parts to help him fix up an old rifle, just in case."

          "Oh, really?" Cayde turns, interested. "What kind of rifle?"

          Kayleigh just smiles. "Ikora, he wanted me to give you a message."

          She pulls away form the railing to stand tall as she always does. "What might that be?"

          "It's encoded, but here you go." she tosses a little chip to Ikora then hops off.

          Cayde kicks his feet off the ledge, wishing Ikora goodnight. She 'bids him well' and he heads down towards his quarters. Hawthorne is already asleep, but he creeps into the bed anyway. Shifting his weight ever so slowly, he manages not to wake her, and Akaiya barely twitches in her arms. 

          Before lying down, he presses a light kiss to Hawthorne's temple. She still doesn't wake, but her lips turn up in a soft smile. He savors it and allows himself to rest easy. 

          He lies on his back and turns his head to look at Akaiya.  _I'll miss you, munchkin._

          Cayde finally cycles down to prepare for the long day that tomorrow will bring.


	2. Chapter 2

          Hawthorne is awake bright and early the next morning. Cayde watches her pace the room with one blue eye. Akaiya is still next to him on the bed, snuggled against Cayde's warm chest. 

           _You're gonna wear a hole in my floor, Whiskey._

          "I wish you could come with me, Cayde."

          Her midnight cloak shifts as she turns to face him and Cayde only smiles. "You know I would if I could."

          She nods and walks back over to the bed, crawling over to curl up behind his back. "I know. Akaiya's gonna miss you."

          "And I'm gonna be missin' both of you. I'll visit." 

          "Will Zavala let that happen?"

          "He won't be able to stop me."

          Cayde answers, booting up the rest of his primary systems. He gently rouses Akaiya and gets ready for his normal, boring, routine day. Walking Hawthorne and Akaiya to the hangar doesn't take long enough. 

          "I'll keep in contact." Hawthorne says, watching her new ship float into the space dock. 

          "I'll be waiting." 

          He kisses Hawthorne, to which Akaiya responds by sticking out her tongue, and then he crouches down and places an Exo kiss on her forehead.

          He waves them off and heads up to her perch. Louis is sitting on the boxes facing out towards the Cosmodrome. 

          "Go on, Louis. Take care of them. You find me if there's trouble, ya' understand?"

          The bird cocks its head to look at Cayde and then flaps off with a piercing cry.

          Sighing, Cayde walks all the way back down to the hangar. Shiro is the first to show up, as always, but it's not for Hunter reasons. 

          "Morning, Cayde." he says, slipping past and over towards Amanda. "Hello, hello?" 

          "Hey, Shiro. You bring my coffee?" she asks, sliding out from underneath a sparrow and sitting up. 

          "Of course." Cayde watches him present it to her like a prize. "Vanilla cream, lots of sugar. Just the way you like it."

          She takes a sip and lifts it up towards Shiro as if toasting it. "Thanks."

          "Anytime. And if you ever need some adventure, I'm sure I've got some freelance jobs lined up if up if you want to come along."

          She smiles and leans against the sparrow body. "I don't know, Shiro." she twirls a wrench between her fingers. "Tell you what. You find something interesting enough for me to take a day off, and we'll see."

          Shiro puts his hand out for her to shake and she slaps her palm into his. "Deal."

          He skips off and goes about to a station, pulling up some pages that Cayde doesn't recognize. Coming up behind him while invisible, Cayde peers over his shoulder. 

          "It's not polite to snoop, Cayde."

          Cayde moves quickly over to his post and leans there like he'd never been gone. When Shiro looks over his shoulder, Cayde is facing the stairs as if waiting for some Hunters. He pauses and turns to look at Shiro. 

          "What are you up to over there, Shiro?"

          He looks vaguely surprised. "Well, I figure you'd already know."

          Cayde shrugs. "Not this time."

          "Come see for yourself." 

          Cayde saunters over and leans his against the computer. 

          "I came up with a network of contacts to keep everyone organized. Where I met them, what I did for them, if they crossed me, if I crossed them. It makes it a lot easier to know who not to take jobs from."

          "Huh."

          "Yep." Shiro taps across the screen and something catches his attention. "Ah, perfect."

          He bounces back over to Amanda and she plays hard-to-get. Eventually, she gives in and Shiro sweeps her off to his ship. As they leave, Cayde wishes silently that he could leave whenever he felt like it. He knows that it's 'dangerous' for the Vanguard to leave the Tower, but Zavala is getting all worried over nothing. Cayde survived for a lot longer than Zavala has been alive, and he's not about to mess it up now.

          Cayde chuckles to himself and looks back at his post. Frowning, he walks past it and up the stairs. He gets a sidelong glance from the guard at the top and has to stop himself from growling at the robot. It takes a step as if to stop him and Cayde lets the growl out.

          All he gets is a shrug after that and Cayde grumbles to himself, stalking up to Zavala. The Titan turns, most likely expecting a guardian or something along those lines. His expression turns quizzical when he realizes it's Cayde. 

          "Need something?"

          "Yeah. A little leeway. I'm not a prisoner, Zav."

          "No, but you've always been flighty." his blatant honesty rears its ugly head.

          "You just don't quit, do you? I _get_ that you worry about everyone, but this is getting extreme. The guard at the top of the stairs just tried to stop me!"

          "We don't need to leave, Cayde."

          "If it were Ikora, would you let her go?"

          Zavala pauses, and Cayde scoffs. "Of course you would. You're afraid of her."  _Anyone is their right mind would be._

          "I just don't want-"

          "Anything to happen, yeah. I know."

          "Then why are you arguing this?"

          "Because I'm a Hunter, Zavala. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be out there." He points down into the Cosmodrome. 

          Zavala sighs heavily, probably coming up with a long-winded response and Cayde growls, shoving Zavala off the edge. 

          "Cayde!"

          "Wash, tell Ikora we're taking a field trip. And block Zavala's transmat signal while you're at it."

          "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Wash asks, spinning his fins. 

          "If it gets my point across, definitely."

          Cayde hops over the railing and free falls towards the ground. He doesn't see Zavala when he touches down and he looks around. Sensing something behind him, he turns just in time to receive a shoulder charge to the face. Cayde sprawls and feels his body tumble to the ground. Wash immediately revives him and Cayde comes around with a groan. 

          "What is your problem?" 

          That gets Cayde on his feet. "You are! You walk around telling me what I can and can't do, trying to control me, and I hate it! I'm done! We're supposed to be equals, and you treat me like I'm a child!"

          "Maybe if you wouldn't act like one, I wouldn't have to."

          "Give me one childlike thing that I've done that actually endangered my life." Cayde scowls. 

          Zavala opens his mouth to respond, but finds himself at a loss for words. Cayde shakes his head to clear it and stalks off. Zavala doesn't chase after him right away, but Cayde knows it's only a matter of time. 

          Wash floats along next to him, making little robotic humming sounds. 

          "Cloak my signal, would you?"

          "We're just leaving him over there?"

          "He'll find me if he wants to talk, but that doesn't mean I won't make him work for it."

          "What if he just goes back to the Tower?"

          "Do you know how long it takes to get back to the top of the Tower from down here?"

          "Of course I do. I was with you when you tried it."

          "He won't want to do that, and he knows he can't avoid me forever."

          Wash sighs. "We're not dropping this this time, are we?"

          "No. We're not."

          Wash sighs and floats along lazily next to Cayde. Cayde continues walking, a good hunting spot in mind. If he's going to be down here, he's going to kill  _something._ Or a certain someone as revenge for that shoulder charge. 

          He's always thought that the Cosmodrome was interesting. It may be earth, and it was studied for centuries, but there are always new things. That's one of the main reasons why Cayde always kept his loot there. The wall leading out to it isn't far and Cayde is very tempted to go well past his destination on the other side.

           _Oh, he's sooo tempted._

          Cayde smiles to himself and breaks into a sprint. As suspected, the old wall appears out of the fog and Cayde climbs it without hesitation. The climb takes a good few minutes and when Cayde reaches the top, he gazes out over the Cosmodrome, taking in the late sunrise. 

          Fog still drifts over the hills and Cayde sees a little movement. An early Guardian, it looks like. And a familiar one, at that. One of Cayde's Hunter's, no doubt.  _Never sleeping. A Hunter's blessing._

          Cayde glances behind him, seeing no sign of Zavala yet and gives himself a few more seconds to stay crouched on top of the wall, the breeze sweeping his cloak gently back and forth. 

          "Zavala is a half-mile away." Wash warns. "He hasn't figured out you're at the wall, but my guess is he'll figure it out soon enough."

          Cayde huffs and nods slowly. With a deep sigh, Cayde stands up and leaps off the wall. It should take longer for his pursuer to climb it than it did Cayde.

          Humming quietly to himself, he pulls his hand cannon from its holster and flips it around a couple times, the spades on the barrel turning to little points. He checks his ammo and sighs.  _Guess I'll have to find some._

           _I'll need my secondary and heavy, if you would be so kind._

          Wash's response is immediate and Cayde feels the weight of a sword on his back. His sidearm holster appears around his waist and Cayde smiles at the sunshot. Every since he'd seen Kayleigh use hers, it has become one of Cayde's favorites. 

          A thought occurs to Cayde that not having his weapons in the Tower really is a bad idea. It ended so well last time. 

          His attention is drawn from his inner musings by the squawks of Fallen. With a quick check of his weapons, Cayde runs towards the sound. Spirits high, Cayde picks them off one by one. 


End file.
